If you are checking out modules from '''trunk/''' you may be able to save time by using snapshots. Using Subversion trunk snapshots is described at [[../Snapshots|the Subversion snapshots tutorial page]].

Abstract

For those of us that like to stay on the "bleeding edge" there's an easy way to keep a local copy of the KDE sources up-to-date. No more trying to log on to ftp.kde.org to get the latest snapshot. No more wandering aimlessly through mirrors looking for one that's up to date. Just a simple command line operation to get up-to-the-minute source updates: anonymous SVN.

Please note that several Linux distributions now already provide KDE SVN packages, so building Qt and KDE from source may well not be necessary for you at all! See Getting_Started/Distribution_Packages for instructions and information.

Anonymous SVN

Using anonymous SVN is simple:

Setup Subversion

First, install the subversion (svn) binary if it isn't already on your computer. Your operating system should have a package for it. Alternatively you can download and compile it yourself via the svn project download page. Please read the KDE Subversion tutorial if you are interested in how to use Subversion.

Checkout KDE

/home/kde/trunk/ (often refered to as trunk, for short) is where the Qt4-based KDE 4 is being developed. The following is the minimal set of modules you will need to check out to build KDE and KDE software:

Currently, Monday is the day when major changes are allowed to the kdelibs module in trunk. Due to this, you may want to avoid updating your sources on Monday unless you are working on kdelibs as there may be temporary breakages throughout the day.

qt-copy is a copy of the latest stable Qt release which works with KDE, put into SVN for convenience. It also contains additional patches that fix bugs or add enhancements KDE makes use of and is therefore recommended for those working with KDE from trunk. You can obtain qt-copy by doing:

Be aware this is a lot of source code to download. The server may demote priority for such large svn requests. Depending on server load, checkout of the entire source tree could grind to a virtual halt part-way through the job.

Checking out specific releases

KDE modules are also tagged at each release so that it is possible to get a specific release of KDE. Most KDE modules have a tag name in the format tags/KDE/X.Y.Z (where X, Y and Z represent the exact version). The arts module (only needed for KDE 2 and KDE 3) has a different format of tag name, tags/arts/X.Y.Z. For instance to get kdelibs as it was shipped in KDE 3.5.0, do:

Checking out translations

If you are looking for translations and other localizations, check out the appropriate language from the l10n module.

Warning

The l10n module is extremely large. Be sure you have lots of time and disk space on hand before checking out the entire l10n module. Most people only check out specific language subdirectories rather than the entire l10n module.

You are now ready to start building KDE! Visit this page for instructions on building trunk or this page for instruction on compiling the last stable release.

Also of interest

anonsvn.kde.org is located in Tuebingen, Germany, maintained by Dirk Mueller However, a more local mirror could be faster for you than anonsvn.kde.org itself. Current mirrors are, sorted by performance: